Walmart Coupon Policy & Store Guide

About Walmart

Walmart is one of the largest retail corporations in the United States and the world. Their stores sell everything from furniture to food and clothing. Shoppers know Walmart for their low prices, decent coupon policy, and excellent price matching policy. These three things make the store a mecca for couponers and bargain hunters. Before heading out on a trip to Walmart, shoppers should understand the coupon policy and know what to expect.

Walmart’s Coupon Policy

Walmart offers a detailed coupon policy that lists what type of coupons they will and will not accept. Due to high turnover and a confusing coupon policy, shoppers should carry a copy of the official Walmart coupon policy with them when shopping there using coupons.

Acceptable Coupons

Print at home Internet coupons

Legible

Must say “Manufacturer Coupon”

Have a valid remit address

Have a valid expiration date

Have a bar code that scans

BOGO coupons need a specified price

Black and white or color are acceptable

Cannot be duplicated

Manufacturer coupons

Must be for dollars or cents off

Walmart honors limitations

Free items are acceptable (not Internet coupons)

BOGO coupons are accepted

Must say “Manufacturer Coupon”

Must have a valid remit address

Must have a valid expiration date

Must have a scannable bar code

Cannot be duplicated

Competitor coupons

Must specify a certain price for the product (like the coupons in the Walgreens weekly ads)

BOGO for items that list a specific price

Must have a valid expiration date

Can be black and white or color

Cannot be duplicated

Soft drink container caps

Catalinas (checkout coupons)

Must be for dollars or cents of a specific item

Must say “Manufacturer Coupon” and have item requirements

Must have a valid remit address

Must have a valid expiration date

Must have a bar code that scans

Can be in color or black and white

Cannot be duplicated

Walmart Does Not Accept Coupons That Are:

Checkout coupons with dollars and cents off the whole purchase

Internet coupons that do not require a purchase

Competitors coupons that:

Are dollars and cents off a specific retailer

Are percentage off of purchases

BOGO without a specified price

Double/triple value coupons

Acceptance Guidelines and Limitations

Walmart only accepts coupons for merchandise they sell

Coupons must be presented during checkout

Only one coupon per item is allowed

Walmart reserves the right to limit the number of identical coupons and coupons for the same item in a transaction

Items purchased must be identical to the coupon requirements

Coupons must have valid expiration dates

If the coupon exceeds the price of the item, the customer can have cash back or apply the remainder to the rest of the transaction.

Walmart reserves the right to limit purchase quantities to one per household to discourage dealers

Store managers have the final decision when taking care of customers

SNAP items purchased in a SNAP transaction are not eligible for cash-back

WIC items purchased in a WIC transaction are applied to basket purchase and may not be eligible for cash back

The system prompts for verification when:

4 or more like coupons are used in a transaction

There is a coupon for more than $5

There are $50 or more in coupons in a transaction

There are coupons totaling a percentage off the total sale

Walmart’s Ad Match Guarantee

Walmart offers an excellent price matching policy with their Ad Match Guarantee. Their price matching policy is better than most other retailers are which makes shopping there very attractive. However, you still do miss the ExtraBucks, Register Rewards, and other benefits of shopping at some of the other retailers. When using price matches, bring along the ad where you found the price to get the same low price.

Walmart Accepts Price Matches For:

BOGO ads as long as there is a specific price of the item

Competitor ads that specify the price of the item

Preferred shopping card prices for items in a printed ad

Fresh produce and meat items as long as the price is in the same units (lb. for lb.)

Guidelines and Limitations

Walmart matches any local competitor’s advertised price

Walmart does not require customers to have the physical ad (it’s helpful)

Items purchased must be identical to the ones in the ad

Walmart can limit BOGO quantities to one per household

Walmart Does Not Price Match the Following:

Items that require a separate purchase for the sale price (buy this to get that for $5)

Items without price information that require a purchase for a free item (B2G1 free, but no price)

Items that require a purchase to get a gift card

BOGO ads without prices listed

Closeout pricing

Percentage off ads

Private label price promotions

A price that omits characteristics of items ($2.50 off all of a brand name)

Walmart Does Not Honor:

Ads with unknown prices for products

Internet pricing

Misprinted ads

Closeout prices and ads for stores going out of business

How to Navigate Walmart Matchups

Walmart matchups include sale prices from Walmart circulars and price matches from local retailers. When viewing these matchups, you might now find the same deals as locations and competitors vary with the geographic area. The matchups list an item and all corresponding coupons available. Below there are some common abbreviations for terms you might see in the matchups.

BOGO or B1G1: Buy one get one, this could mean a free item, 50% one item, etc.

RP: Red Plum

SS: Smart Source

PG: P&G insert

$1/1, $1/2,…: $1 off one item, $1 off two of the same items

GC: Gift card

MIR: Mail in rebate

PSA: Prices starting at

PC: Price cuts

ETS: Excludes trail sizes in coupon/promotion

TMF: Try me free promotion (usually in coupon form)

Q: Coupon

MQ: Manufacturer coupon

CQ: Competitor coupon

WYB: When you buy

X: Expiration date on a coupon

YMMV: Your mileage may vary, this means you might not find the same deal at every store